Wild Walls Festival celebrates Ipswich’s street art and community, and brings huge mural to stunning Waterfront
- Exciting four-week public street art programme in Ipswich, beginning on Saturday 7th September.
- Includes four large murals by ATMA, Woskerski, Nathan Murdoch and KB Design.
- Plus smaller street art pieces, a new street art trail, free urban art workshops with graffiti artists, an art market, a virtual reality graffiti art exhibition, screenings of iconic films, and a closing party.
- First urban art festival for Ipswich – a town with a vibrant street art scene.
The Wild Walls Festival is an exciting four-week public street art programme in Ipswich, beginning on Saturday 7th September. The mainly free programme will bring an early autumn creative buzz to the town with plenty of family-friendly things to do. The festival will also bring what is believed to be one of the biggest murals in the East of England to Ipswich Waterfront.
The festival offers a new large murals and smaller street art pieces by brilliant artists, a new street art trail, free urban art workshops with graffiti artists, an art market, a virtual reality graffiti art exhibition, free screenings of three iconic films at King Street Cinema, and a ticketed Wild Walls closing party at The Baths, Ipswich, on Friday 5th October.
Anyone travelling on Ipswich Buses to attend festival events will be reimbursed in cash on arrival. Simply talk to a festival team member.
A first of its kind for the town, Wild Walls Festival is the collaborative brainchild of Art Eat Events CIC and The Subversiv Collective, who had a vision to create a street art festival with a difference. With experience in delivering community arts projects and a passion for street art, they are being supported by Arts Council of England, Ipswich Borough Council and Ipswich Central, as well as SPILL, The Hold and University of Suffolk.
Throughout the summer, young people joined workshops in Ipswich to co-design four large scale murals in the town centre. During the festival people will see the new artworks emerge, with the largest being a whopping 576 square metres – the equivalent of approximately three tennis courts – on the University of Suffolk’s James Hehir Building on Neptune Quay. It is expected to be one of the largest murals in East Anglia.
The other large-scale murals can be found at the rear entrance of The Hold near the Waterfront, on the back of Ashtons Legal’s building and viewed from Portman Road, and on Great Colman Street. The public can also look out for other urban art in unexpected places!
Iona Hodgson, Wild Walls project manager and co-director of Art Eat Events CIC, says: “We invited nationally renowned artists ATMA, Nathan Murdoch, Woskerski as well as KB Design to develop the mural designs with local young people. This approach offered participants a chance to take part in an inspiring journey; meeting established artists, and co-designing and painting new murals in Ipswich. We are very excited to offer locals and visitors the opportunity to see this work and celebrate the town’s street art culture during the Wild Walls Festival. Come along with family and friends, have fun, discover cool new artwork, and get creative!”
ATMA’s forthcoming huge mural on the James Hehir Building, owned by the University of Suffolk, was commissioned by Art Eat Events CIC.
ATMA, based in London, said: “The mural, called ‘From Ipswich with Love’, is like a love letter from Ipswich to the world. I had the incredible opportunity to do workshops with Ipswich residents – the mural design on the James Hehir Building was born from these workshops. The mural showcases the beautiful spirit of Ipswich: creative, loving, open, forward thinking.
“Also, considering Ipswich as one of the most ancient towns in the UK, and at the opening to the sea, the mural will include details and references that I hope people will enjoy discovering. The focus of my work is to create an uplifting narrative anchored in its location, which resonates with its local community. And I hope the mural will become a timeless universal message of kindness, positivity and vibrancy.”
The murals on The Hold and Ashtons Legal’s walls are by Nathan Murdoch and Woskerski respectively, and commissioned by The Subversiv Collective.
Nathan Murdoch, from Peterborough, explained: “This mural was co-created at community workshops over the summer, and in partnership with Suffolk Archives, based at The Hold. The design has been influenced by the Archives’ important work, which includes safeguarding and storing historical records, and supporting the public in their research and education.
“The mural shows a hand which is holding a portal – this suggests the ability to time travel. There is also a book with origami butterflies, made with folded archive records, flying out of the pages. This speaks to historical stories flying out of the portal into the present day, and how information is accessible to the public in Suffolk and beyond.
“The round portal is a seafaring reference, with The Hold being based close to the Waterfront and Ipswich being a maritime town.”
Woskerski, based in London, commented: “The goal of the mural and the surreal style of my work is not only to make people smile, but also to make them stop and try to interpret the art in their own way. A cute ladybird makes people smile, and when you look closer, you realise some of its spots are missing.
“Instead, you have members of the community making their own mark on the ladybird’s shell, which can also be seen as them making a difference. This is empowering. It also portrays the joy that people feel when doing something artistic. I hope the people of Ipswich enjoy and have fun with the mural.”
Nigel Ball, Head of Arts at the University of Suffolk, adds: “It is exciting that a contemporary street art festival of this kind is coming to Ipswich, celebrating not only local talent but also bringing in internationally renowned artists to the region. The University is proud to support Wild Walls, not only by providing a space for a mural that will become a positive and colourful addition to the Waterfront, but also to welcome everyone to come and enjoy the art market and graffiti exhibition.”
A striking large-scale mural by artist, Woskerski, can already be seen on the Ashtons Legal building. Ashtons Ipswich Office Partner, Janette Wand, comments: “We are proud to support the Ipswich Wild Walls festival and we are delighted with the new mural on our office. We are passionate about supporting local causes and I am sure our unique design and all the others will bring inspiration and energy to the town”.
Further information about Wild Walls Festival events and participating artist information are available here: www.wildwallsfestival.com.
Follow on @wildwallsfestival on Instagram
To find out about the films and book free tickets, go to the Kings Street Cinema website: www.kingstreetcinema.co.uk
Wild Walls is working with local community partners including: Chip, Future Female Society, Ipswich Borough Council, Ipswich Community Media, Ipswich Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, Karibu, King Street Cinema, Murrayside Community Centre CIC, Sounds East CIC, Suffolk Libraries, Suffolk New College, Suffolk Refugee Support, The Hive and YMCA.